In respect to culinary operations, cooks have for many years used mechanisms which automatically stir foods during the preparation thereof, whereby the cooks may then undertake other food preparation tasks, without periodically returning to a specific cooking locale to stir the food being heated. In 1903 Alice P. Barney in her U.S. Pat. No. 723,977 illustrated and described her fluid agitator, which was radially adjustable to be positioned about the top rim of many different kettles or boilers. Also she provided a centered shaft which was adjusted up or down to accommodate kettles or boilers of different depths. Moreover, she provided multiple radial blades which were adjustably positioned to different locations about the centered shaft She powered the centered shaft and the radial blades by using a selected source of power, such as a spring with clock like mechanisms, or an electric motor.
In 1957, Robert S. Block, in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,805,843, illustrated and described his stirring appliances, which were clamped on the top rims of bowls or pans and, via a spring mechanism, a stirring blade, adjustable radially to fit different bowls and pans, was rotated just above the bottom of the bowls or pans, during the stirring of a food being prepared.
In 1967, Anait Stephens, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,685, illustrated and described a battery operated stirring unit for sauce pans and the like of different sizes. Yokes of the stirring unit were moved radially in or out to bear against the top edges of respective differently sized sauce pans. Any relative turning movement between the stirring unit and the sauce pan, was prevented by placing one of the yokes against a handle of the sauce pan. A cross bar of the stirring unit supported spaced blades in contact with the inner surface of the bottom of the sauce pan. This cross bar was mounted to a vertical depending shaft of the stirring unit, using a relatively sliding fit and a compression spring arrangement, which kept the blades in contact with the bottom of any selected size of sauce pan having a respective different interior depth.
In January 1972, Wallace Lee, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,147, illustrated his combination cooking-stirring vessel, which he primarily used in cooking chop suey during a three hour cooking time, when the mixing of the vegetables, meat, and other ingredients was undertaken constantly. The food was cooked and stirred in a bowl provided with an electrical heating element, and two sets of stirring blades. One set of blades was located adjacent the bowl wall, and the other set of blades were mounted on a central handle. Both sets of blades were rotated by a motor drive, supplying power at the bowl rim. The bowl was elevated, providing a space to receive a plate underneath. After the cooking, a plug in the bottom of the bowl was removed, and upon the continuation of the stirring action, the cooked food was pushed out and down upon the inserted plate located below the bowl.
In September 1972, James Nichols, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,938, illustrated and described his cooking apparatus used in preparing ground meat containing sauces, to make spaghetti sauce and other foods. He provided a self contained power unit on a top closure, removably secured by fasteners to a vessel. The power unit had a centered depending shaft rotating both spaced horizontal paddles, and a U-shaped paddle, which passed closely by, respectively, the sides and bottom of the vessel during cooking times. In addition, he provided stationary spaced horizontal paddle-like members, which were interspaced between the rotating spaced horizontal paddles. The centered depending rotatable shaft was rotatably supported on a stabilizing pin integrally made with the bottom of the vessel.
In September 1972, Michael J. Will, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,053, illustrated and described his stirring device provided to universally fit cooking containers of different sizes. A central unit, housing an essentially self contained power unit, was positioned within a cooking container by using three spaced radial horizontal telescoping rod assemblies, each having an internal length adjusting compression spring. A shaft, depending from the central unit and rotated by the power unit, rotated a set of radial blades, secured to the shaft in a horizontal plane.
In 1974, Graham J. Aries, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,770, illustrated and described his stirrer devices for culinary purposes. He provided a specific lid for a cooking vessel, and fitted this lid with a powered stirrer device. A depending shaft, powered by the stirrer device and a part thereof, resiliently supported a wiper arm or wiper arms, which extended radially and horizontally to movably engage the inner bottom of the cooking vessel, creating a wiping action, which substantially reduced the risk of burning the food being cooked in the cooking vessel.
In 1982, Elaine J. Kurland, in her U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,992, illustrated and described her stirring apparatus, to be mounted on existing containers, such as cooking utensils, for stirring the contents thereof. She provided a motor centrally secured on a horizontal support brace, which, in turn, was adjustably fitted across an open top portion of a cooking container. Selected size paddles were interchangeably removably connected to the motor, for stirring the food contents of the selected size container.
These previous inventors and others have provided a cook with cooking equipment which he or she may operate to cook and to simultaneously automatically stir foods to increase their uniform cooking and to avoid their burning. However, the operational cooking environment within a microwave oven has eliminated essentially all of these prior types of cooking equipment. Therefore, there remains a need for an assembly of components to be arranged and to be operated especially in microwave ovens.